DFA members were asked to participate in the first Art Day at the Refuge by
Refuge volunteer Jenny Rieke. Chris Love demonstrated her spinning
techniques. Hope Harkins and Julie Mercer held a class in Scraffito and
imprinting native plants in clay to be fired. Cindy Jewell and Karyn Watson
held a cardboard loom weaving workshop for children.
The panels created by DFA for the Maryhill Museum Exquisite Gorge Project
ll: Fiber Arts were on display during the day with large photos of the
original un-weathered “Natural Side” and “Man Made Side” panels. The
Refuge prepared an explanatory poster of the Project’s eleven artists and
multiple community partners. The Exquisite Gorge Project II, represented in
fiber arts, the Columbia River Gorge from the Willamette River confluence to
the Snake River confluence. Our featured artist, Ophir El-Boher, worked
with DFA members for many months as a collaborative team to create the
twelve-panel artwork. Ophir’s goal was to create artwork representing our
section of the river using as many recycled fibers and materials as possible.
Our multiple-panel rotating sculpture has been on display at The Reach
Museum in Richland prior to being placed at the Maryhill Museum within a
continuous 70-foot sculpture containing all sections. Following the outside
display at Maryhill, the entire sculpture was displayed at the Lewis and
Clark College in Portland until the sections were returned to their
originator. [Link to Maryhill webpage on Exquisite Gorge II:
https://www.maryhillmuseum.org/educational_programs/the-exquisite-
gorge-project-ii-fiber-arts]
